Simon’s ielts writing task 2

Planned ideas (arguments against homework)
1. Topic (e.g. People disagree with homework for several reasons) 
2. Firstly: homework does not improve educational outcomes 
3. Example: achievements of countries like Finland 
4. Secondly: school day is long enough, children are tired 
5. Finally: play time is equally beneficial for development 
5-sentence paragraph using the ideas above
There are several reasons why people might argue that homework is an unnecessary burden on 
children. 
Firstly
, there is evidence to support the idea that homework does nothing to improve 
educational outcomes. Countries 
such as
Finland, where school children are not given homework, 
regularly top international educational league tables and outperform nations where setting homework 
is the norm. 
Secondly
, many parents would agree that the school day is already long enough, and 
leaves their children too tired to do further study when they return home. 
Finally
, it is recognised that 
play time is just as beneficial as study time from the perspective of brain development. 
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IELTS Writing Task 2
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Wednesday, June 21, 2017 
IELTS Writing Task 2: 'homework' essay 
Here's my full essay for the question below. 
Some people believe that school children should not be given homework by their teachers, 
whereas others argue that homework plays an important role in the education of children. 
Discuss both of these views and give your own opinion.

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Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 183 
People’s opinions differ as to whether or not school children should be given homework. While there 
are some strong arguments against the setting of homework, I still believe that it is a necessary 
aspect of education. 
There are several reasons why people might argue that homework is an unnecessary burden on 
children. Firstly, there is evidence to support the idea that homework does nothing to improve 
educational outcomes. Countries such as Finland, where school children are not given homework, 
regularly top international educational league tables and outperform nations where setting homework 
is the norm. Secondly, many parents would agree that the school day is already long enough, and 
leaves their children too tired to do further study when they return home. Finally, it is recognised that 
play time is just as beneficial as study time from the perspective of brain development. 
In spite of the above arguments, I support the view that homework has an important role to play in the 
schooling of children. The main benefit of homework is that it encourages independent learning and 
problem solving, as children are challenged to work through tasks alone and at their own pace. In 
doing so, students must apply the knowledge that they have learnt in the classroom. For example, by 
doing mathematics exercises at home, students consolidate their understanding of the concepts 
taught by their teacher at school. In my view, it is important for children to develop an independent 
study habit because this prepares them to work alone as adults. 
In conclusion, homework certainly has its drawbacks, but I believe that the benefits outweigh them in 
the long term. 
(270 words, band 9)